Anyway, simple question (I hope).
Doing the beer can chicken thing (but using the Weber poultry roaster setup which does the same thing). Have a gas grill. Chicken cooked fine, but skin was not crispy. Called Weber and they told me using gas won't give crispy skin like charcoal.

I've never had a problem getting crispy skin with a gas grill whether cooking directly or indirectly.
I just recently bought a smoker to try my hand at, but I've used a gas grill for quite some time and always had great results.
Where was your grill temp at?

Grill temp was about 350-375. Woman at the grill hotline at Weber said to keep it about 350. This of course was the same woman that said it won't get crispy like charcoal. I had it set for indirect grilling (Weber silver genesis B with 3 burners) with medium heat. Had a remote temp probe in it so pretty confident it was cooked thoroughly.

Ok. I hit your link and checked it out. I think, if I read the description correctly, that I know why you didn't get the crispy skin.
Putting the liquid in the pan in essence surrounding the chicken will effectivley steam the outside of the bird and prevent the skin from crsiping. The can being iside the chicken also creates steam. however as the steam is inside and exiting through the top of the bird it keeps the meat nice and moist and allows the skin to absorb the smoke flavor and crsip.
There are several companies that make beer can chicken stands. You put the liquid in the tube at the center of the stand and put the chicken over the tube. Cabela's has them.
If you can use you roaster in this same fashon you will probably get the result you are looking for.
Hope this helps.

I've never heard that a gas grill won't yield crispy skin on chicken. I don't have a gas grill but I would suggest cooking chicken on a medium heat until it is done then turning the heat up near the end to crisp and brown the skin.

For coke can chickens, I've never had crispy skin. It's due to the low temperatures at which it's cooked along with the moisture from the water pan and cola. We rarely eat chicken skin anyway and the dog loves it. So I've never tried for crispness.

As a resident gas guy I can tell you with 100% certainty that Weber is full of %&*^@. Thats the first and hopefully last time you'll ever hear me say that, but not getting crispy with gas?!? That ridiculous. I agree with the steamed theory. The liquid should be on the inside of the bird, not around it.

Mon Apr 26, 2004 6:39 pm

Guest

Thank you all for your replies. It seems the flaw is in the "Poultry Roaster" they sell. Based on some of your comments it seems logical to me that when using this item, juice/fat/water collects in the pan around the bird which steams from the outside as well preventing the skin from getting crispy. The second person at the Weber "grill hotline" said she got crispy skin on gas, but it was using just a beer can directly on the grate.....not using the poultry roaster. She asked others there and it seems this accessory doesn't give the crispy skin.

Hey Dave, you might also try removing the bird from the package and let it sit on a rack in a well ventilated area of your refrig overnight. This seems to remove excess moisture from the skin prior to grillin'. Also rub the skin down with oil or butter (and then season so you don't wash off your rub). I would also turn up the temp for better results. I like to turn up my temps in the beginning until some nice browning has started, then lower the heat and shoot for my desired internal temp. Just my preference, but I would be worried about overshooting my preferred window of doneness if done later on in the process.

I hadn't thought of it before, but collecting the juices in the pan could work against crisp skin. OTOH, you can roast a chicken in a rack and pan in the oven and get crisp skin even though juices collect in the pan. The secret is the rack, which allows hot air to surround the bird. Before you take a drill to the roaster, I'd suggest you make sure the skin is dry, and rub with butter before your normal rub. In an earlier thread, a poster reported that this worked.

In Daves case the way in which the roaster works is the problem. It is designed so that the beer or whatever liquid you are using to keep the bird moist is outside of the cavity. This in effect steams the outside and prevents the skin from crisping. I agree with Paul in that I would not drill holes in the bottom of the roaster. Drilling holes in the roaster will void any warranty that Weber offers on the product. Also it will not solve the problem. Drilling holes on the bottom of the roaster will make it totally ineffective for it's intended design. You will not be able to hold any liquid at all there by making it nothing more than a stand.
I would simply use the beer can or buy a beer can roaster designed to hold the liquid in the center cylinder that is put in the cavity of the bird.